rocking chair redo

I've been on a project kick lately as you may have guessed from my recent posts. I've been trying to clear up space around the house, to make it more beautiful and less cluttered looking. My favorite of these projects was making a late 19th century family rocking chair presentable again. It also happened to be the most frustrating and rewarding of the many goals I have listed. 


The main problem concerned the caning that covers the back portion of the chair. Gorgeous when it's done; a nightmare when you're the one trying to fix it. 

First I cut out the caning, which was easy enough. Then I removed the cushion, sanded and then stained the whole chair. Then I started working on re-caning the back. I watched a dozen videos on youtube and read the book the cane came with at least that many time but after a week of nights spend hunched over the chair, I gave up and found a professional. 

She was able to do in about a week what I never would have accomplished. And it's perfect. I then had Jason cut me a new seat that I re-cushioned and covered. The fabric is a beautiful celery green with off-white dots.

As soon as I make room, this beauty is going into Penny's nursery. She already loves climbing up on the seat and rocking. I can't wait for nights of rocking and reading stories together in my favorite new/old chair.